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Ray Emery
| birth_place = Hamilton, ON, CAN | career_start = 2002 | draft = 99th overall | draft_year = 2001 | draft_team = Ottawa Senators | image = Rayemery2.jpg | image_size = 215px }} Raymond "Ray" Emery (born September 28, 1982 in Hamilton, Ontario) is a professional ice hockey goaltender, currently playing for Atlant Mytishchi in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He formerly played for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has been awarded multiple honours, with the majority being at the minor league level. Emery, who goes by the nicknames Razor and Sugar Ray, was chosen 99th overall by the Senators in the 2001 NHL entry draft. During the 2006–07 season, Emery secured the job of starting goaltender for the Ottawa Senators in their run to the Stanley Cup Finals. On June 20, 2008, the Ottawa Senators waived Emery, and then bought out his contract after a string of off-ice incidents caused the organization to sour on him. On July 9, 2008, it was announced that Emery had signed a one-year, $2M contract with Atlant Mytishchi of the Russian KHL. Emery is notable for getting into numerous on-ice altercations, a rarity for an ice hockey goaltender . Emery has been involved in one such incident at the NHL level, fighting two Buffalo players, Martin Biron and Andrew Peters in a line brawl during the 2006-07 NHL season . He was also involved in a much publicized fight with then teammate Brian McGrattan during a Senators' practice in January of 2008 , as well as an altercation with Jason Spezza during a practice in the 2007 playoffs, and a "verbal sparring match" with Chris Neil on February 3, 2008 . Early life Emery was born the eldest of three brothers, Andrew and Nicholas, to Charlene and Paul Emery. He grew up on a century-old farmhouse in Cayuga, Ontario, where he attended high school, excelling in both sports and academics. He played many sports other than hockey, including golf, baseball, and soccer. In ice hockey, he originally played defence, but switched to goaltender at nine years old due to a shortage of goaltenders in his league. Emery was very competitive and was "his own worst critic". Emery, for some time, also had an ambition to become an architect, before he turned to professional hockey. Playing career Pre-NHL Emery decided to commit to hockey with the advice of his mother, and tried out for eight different junior teams, from which he was cut. He finally started his junior hockey career in 1998 in Junior C with the Dunnville Terriers of the OJHL. Despite winning three games out of 22 played, Emery was named Rookie of the Year. Emery was drafted by OHL's Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the 5th round of the 1999 OHL draft. Emery split the 1999–2000 season between the Welland Cougars of the OHA and the Greyhounds in the OHL. In 2000–2001 with the Greyhounds, Emery was involved in four on-ice fights. In 2001, Emery was drafted by the Ottawa Senators and subsequesntly enjoyed his most successful OHL season in 2001–2002. In 2002–2003, Emery moved on to the Binghamton Senators of the AHL for his first professional season. He would win 27 of 50 games and was named to the AHL's All-Rookie team. Emery was suspended twice for on-ice incidents the same season, and such behavior continued into the 2003–2004 season. He was suspended for three games for bumping a referee, and he was involved in an altercation with Denis Hamel of the Rochester Americans, when Hamel admittedly uttered a racial slur. Emery retaliated and was suspended for three games. Emery and Hamel would later be team-mates in Binghamton, and Hamel apologized for "for not thinking about what I was saying, in the heat of a game" . The 2004–05 season would be his last in the AHL; coincidentally, that season was wiped out in the NHL because of a lockout. Ottawa Senators (2005–2008) on the 2007 playoffs]] Emery began his NHL career, in the 2005–06 season, by setting a record for wins to start a career. Emery won his first nine games, moving ahead of Bob Froese, who started the 1982–83 season with eight wins while playing for the Philadelphia Flyers. In March of the same season, Emery won 12 games, tying Bernie Parent's record for the most wins in a month, which Parent set in 1974. At the beginning of the 2005–06 season, Emery had won nine straight games during the regular season, as the back-up for Dominik Hašek. When Hašek injured his groin during the 2006 Winter Olympics, Emery became the starting goalie. Mike Morrison became the backup, after he was picked up off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers. Emery would be the starting goaltender for the rest of the season, including the playoffs, where the Senators lost to Buffalo in five games. After the 2005–2006 season the Senators decided not to bring back Hašek, and they brought in Martin Gerber to compete with Emery for the starting goaltending job. Gerber was the starter at the beginning of the season, but due to Gerber's poor play, Emery regained the role of starter in mid-November. On Saturday, February 10, 2007, Emery was suspended three games from the NHL for striking Montreal Canadiens forward Maxim Lapierre with his stick on his face, after Lapierre crashed into Emery's net. Twelve days later, after his three-game suspension had ended, Emery was involved in a mêlée between the Senators and the Buffalo Sabres. He and Sabres goaltender Martin Biron left their creases to fight each other. After that fight was finished, Emery proceeded to fight Sabres' enforcer Andrew Peters. Both goaltenders received game misconducts, and Emery had the rare feat (for a goaltender) of receiving two five-minute majors for fighting in the same incident. In total, Emery wound up with a total of 22 penalty minutes (two five-minute majors for fighting, a two-minute minor for leaving the crease, and the 10-minute game misconduct) for this altercation. After the altercation, fans and media have dubbed him "Sugar Ray" in reference to retired boxer Sugar Ray Robinson and Emery's reputation as a fighter. Prior to the 2007 playoffs, Emery and the Senators won 5–2 against the Montreal Canadiens on March 30, 2007, which was his 100th NHL game. Emery's strong play in the season continued on in the playoffs, as the Senators defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins, New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres each in five games en route to their first Stanley Cup Final appearance since the team returned to the NHL in 1992, where the Senators lost to the Anaheim Ducks in five games. He became a restricted free agent after the end of the season and filed for salary arbitration, but he agreed to a three-year deal with the Senators worth $9.5 million before the hearings were held. By the pre-season of the 2007–08 campaign, Emery was injured for a lengthy time, due to a nagging wrist injury which forced him to play only 40 minutes of the pre-season and to miss several games early in the Senators' season. Unspectacular performances by Emery, combined with improved play by Martin Gerber during the first two months of the season, reduced Emery's playing time once he returned. As a result, Gerber was designated as the starting goaltender for the team. In December, Emery was involved in more controversy, as he was sent home by head coach John Paddock from a practice after claiming that he was feeling ill. It occurred one day after he slammed a stick at another practice expressing his frustration stemming for his reduced playing time this season. Emery later explained that he woke up late and missed the start of that practice. The issue briefly fueled trade rumors. On January 28, 2008, Emery showed up late to another practice in Long Island, New York. Emery said that he mistakenly thought that the session was held at the New York Islanders arena, the Nassau Coliseum, but it was instead held at the Farmingdale Iceworks. There were also reports that Emery had spent the All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas but Paddock simply stated that he arrived in New York from the west. General manager Brian Murray admitted that he has tried to trade Emery, but there were no takers. Due to his recent tardiness, Emery was fined 1/187 of his salary per this year, which was $14,705.88. He turned this fine into a donation to CHEO. In addition, Emery was also involved in separate altercations with Brian McGrattan and Chris Neil during practice sessions. On April 18, 2008 Murray announced to the media in an end-of-season press conference that Emery would not return to the Senators for the 2008–09 season: "My plan is not to have him back." On June 20, 2008, Emery was waived by the Ottawa Senators. Three days later, Emery cleared waivers and became a free agent. Mask controversy On January 30, 2006, Emery was the target of many critics as a result of a design which was painted on his goalie mask. Emery, an avid boxing fan, wore a mask with a picture of Mike Tyson painted on it. The mask attracted controversy due to Tyson's reputation, notably his past rape convictions. After speaking to the Senator's management, Emery decided not to wear the mask as they both felt it was inappropriate for hockey. He would wear the Tyson mask for only one game, a 5–0 loss against the Boston Bruins. During the 2006 NHL playoffs, Emery wore a new mask featuring Canadian heavyweight boxer George Chuvalo. In the 2007-2008 season Emery's mask also featured Muhammad Ali. Emery finished the season of with Floyd Mayweather on his mask. Atlant Mytishchi (2008–) Hoping to find another NHL job but only receiving calls from three teams, Emery signed a one-year, $2 million contract with Atlant Mytishchi of the new Kontinental Hockey League on July 9, 2008. However, as a foreign goaltender, Emery will only be allowed to play in 65% of his team's 56 regular season games due to rules that encourage the development of Russian netminders. Personal life Outside of ice hockey, Emery is known for his flamboyant lifestyle. He has numerous tattoos, which include the initials of his parents, Charlene and Paul, and younger brothers Andrew and Nicholas. He has an African symbol for the number one, his jersey number with the Senators, and his nickname "Razor" written across his chest. He also has a tattoo representing his birth symbol, Libra. He once made a $500 bet with Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson, which required Emery to eat a cockroach that had been found on the floor of a Carolina dressing room. He won the bet, and used the money to get another tattoo on his right arm which read, "Anger is a Gift". Emery drives a white Hummer, which was involved in a minor car accident on the Queensway while Emery was racing to the airport, after failing to answer his wakeup calls, to fly with the team to New Jersey. Afterwards, he drove an orange Lamborghini while his Hummer was being repaired. Emery was featured in a TSN broadcast which concerned his wardrobe. It includes 50 pairs of shoes, a dozen watches, and a $4000 suit as well as diamond chains. Emery also owns a python named Brendan, after his childhood friend. Emery was involved in September 2007 in an incident of road rage towards an Ottawa retiree named Jean Therien, while on a freeway driving to Scotiabank Place for training. Emery claimed that Therien cut him off and is just bitter that he lost the "war of words". Therien said that Emery threatened to kill him, and feared for his life after being forced to stop when Emery blocked the road with his Hummer. Therien claimed to eventually sue Emery for his actions. Career statistics Regular season Statistics as of 2008-04-18 Playoffs Statistics as of 2008-04-18 Awards References See also *List of Ottawa Senators players *List of black NHL players *List of NHL seasons *NHL Goaltenders External links * * *Emery's interview with James Duthie about his wardrobe (article with video link) Category:1982 births Category:Binghamton Senators players Category:Black Canadian sportspeople Category:Canadian ice hockey goaltenders Category:Canadians of Barbadian descent Category:Ice hockey personnel from Ontario Category:Living people Category:Ottawa Senators draft picks Category:Ottawa Senators players Category:People from Hamilton, Ontario Category:Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds alumni